This application claims the priority of 196 25 501.5, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
This application is related to application Ser. No. 08/881,384 filed on Jun. 24, 1997 in the name of Michael BOEHRINGER et al. for OPERATING ELEMENT ARRANGEMENT FOR CONTROLLING MOTOR VEHICLE LONGITUDINAL AND TRANSVERSE MOVEMENTS; application Ser. No. 08/877,404 filed on Jun. 17, 1997 in the name of Michael BOEHRINGER et al. for OPERATING ELEMENT ARRANGEMENT FOR CONTROLLING MOTOR VEHICLE LONGITUDINAL AND TRANSVERSE MOVEMENTS; application Ser. No.08/883,502 filed on Jun. 26, 1997 in the name of Lutz ECKSTEIN et al. for OPERATING ELEMENT ARRANGEMENT FOR CONTROLLING MOTOR VEHICLE LONGITUDINAL AND TRANSVERSE MOVEMENTS; application Ser. No. 08/882,930 filed on Jun. 26, 1997 in the name of Lutz ECKSTEIN et al. for OPERATING ELEMENT ARRANGEMENT FOR CONTROLLING MOTOR VEHICLE LONGITUDINAL AND TRANSVERSE MOVEMENTS; application Ser. No. 08/883,480 filed on Jun. 26, 1997 in the name of Michael BOEHRINGER et al. for OPERATING ELEMENT ARRANGEMENT FOR CONTROLLING MOTOR VEHICLE LONGITUDINAL AND TRANSVERSE MOVEMENTS.
The present invention relates to an operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal and transverse movements of a motor vehicle, with a foot-actuatable regulating part for activating braking operations.
In conventional operating arrangements as are used, for example, in automobiles, a foot-actuatable regulating part is formed by a brake pedal. A foot-actuatable accelerator or driving pedal is provided for activating acceleration operations, and the control of transverse movement, i.e vehicle steering, is carried out via a steering wheel. The paper by P. Branneby et al., Improved Active and Passive Safety by Using Active Lateral Dynamic Control and an Unconventional Steering Unit", 13th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles, 4th to 7th November 1991, Proceedings Vol. 1, page 224, proposes, as an alternative to the conventional steering wheel, an operating lever which is arranged, for example, on the center tunnel of the vehicle.
Furthermore, a common operating element for controlling the longitudinal and transverse dynamics of a motor vehicle is known, preferably in which the longitudinal dynamics are controlled by actuating the operating element in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the transverse dynamics are controlled by actuating the operating element in the transverse direction, in particular as a rotational movement corresponding to the conventional steering wheel.
An operating element is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,022,850 in the form of a control stick which is mounted on a frame so as to be pivotable about a horizontal transverse axis, the frame, in turn, being rotatable about a horizontal longitudinal axis. A further operating element of this type, which is alluded to in a paper by H. Bubb, Arbeitsplatz Fahrer--Eine ergonomische Studie [Driver's area--An Ergonomic Study], Automobil-Industrie [Automobile Industry] 3/85, page 265, contains two mechanically interconnected plate-like handles which are located closely next to one another and which are attached to the end of a bar which is guided movably on the vehicle center console. The longitudinal dynamics of the vehicle are controlled by displacing the bar in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the transverse dynamics are influenced by rotating the two plate-like handles in the transverse plane of the vehicle.
German Patent Application 195 48 717.6 discloses an operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal and transverse movements of a motor vehicle. The arrangement comprises two operating elements which can be actuated independently of one another and each of which is intended for controlling the longitudinal and transverse movements and is preferably designed as a manually actuatable control stick. Electronic coupling of the two operating elements prevents command collisions, e.g. caused by the additive superposition of the control command signals, due to the manual passive switching of one operating element in each case or due to the assignment of different priorities for the two operating elements.
DE 28 41 786 A1 discloses an operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal and transverse movements of a motor vehicle. The arrangement contains, for controlling longitudinal acceleration operations, a conventional, foot-actuatable accelerator pedal and a manually actuatable actuating wheel which is coupled mechanically to the latter and which is arranged on a conventional steering wheel, serving for the control of transverse movement, so as to be rotatable together with the said steering wheel and displaceable axially relative thereto. This arrangement also enables the disabled to drive motor vehicles having a conventional pedal assembly by making the pedal controls hand actuatable.
DE 43 01 292 A1 describes an arrangement in which, in addition to a conventional steering wheel serving for the control of transverse movement, a manually actuatable brake knob coupled to a conventional brake pedal and intended for activating the vehicle brake. Furthermore, the arrangement contains a device for regulating the longitudinal speed, and the desired speed value can be decremented merely by touching the brake knob and can be incremented by actuating push buttons provided in the steering wheel. In a standard operating mode without speed regulation, acceleration operations are controlled via a conventional, foot-actuatable accelerator pedal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,361 discloses a foot-actuatable operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal movement of a vehicle, in which the brake pedal and accelerator pedal are hemispherical force sensor elements which give way to an external pressure actuation force.
An object of the present invention is to provide an operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal and transverse movements of a motor vehicle with a high level of driving and operating comfort.
The present invention achieves this object by providing an operating element arrangement having a foot-actuatable regulator configured and arranged to control braking operations, and a manually actuatably, steering control stick configured to control transverse movement of the motor vehicle and arranged to be subjected to actuating forces acting in a transverse direction of the motor vehicle, wherein a finger-actuatable regulating part configured to control acceleration operations of the motor vehicle is integrated into the steering control stick.
In the arrangement of the present invention, a regulating part which is manually actuatable in the transverse direction of the vehicle and is in the form of a steering control stick controls the transverse movement of the vehicle, i.e. vehicle steering. Integrated into this manually actuatable regulating part is a finger-actuatable regulating part which controls acceleration operations and which consequently performs the function of a conventional, foot-actuatable accelerator pedal.
In comparison with conventional arrangements having a steering wheel and a brake and accelerator pedal assembly, numerous advantages are afforded. Thus, for example, active safety with regard to the longitudinal dynamics is improved. That is, for alternate acceleration and braking, the foot no longer has to be changed over between the accelerator pedal and brake pedal. Instead, the activation of acceleration operations is separated from the activation of braking operations spatially and, as regards the operating mode, distinctly.
Moreover, braking operations in accordance with the present invention can be initiated substantially more quickly. Furthermore, dispensing with the accelerator pedal does away with the risk of actuating the wrong pedal. Further, operating safety and operating comfort are increased by the possibility of driving the vehicle more intuitively and with a more comfortable body posture. By dispensing with the accelerator pedal and with the conventional steering wheel, free spaces occur in the driver's seat region and may be utilized for the more advantageous placing of other instruments in the dashboard region.
In addition, with a laterally arranged steering control stick as contemplated by the present invention, the driver's arms need not be held stretched so far forwards as in the case of the conventional steering wheel. Furthermore, dispensing with the accelerator pedal and with the steering wheel improves passive safety; i.e. in the event of a rear-end collision, the risks of injury associated with these elements does not arise. Furthermore, the omission of the conventional steering wheel and accelerator pedal may be utilized for the purpose of shortening the vehicle, while, at the same time, ensuring the same amount of available space, and of providing more convenient possibilities for getting into the vehicle.
In comparison with known arrangements having an operating element which controls both longitudinal and transverse dynamics and, for this purpose, can be subjected to an associated actuating force in the longitudinal and transverse directions, an advantage of the present operating element arrangement is that only the transverse movement of the vehicle is influenced by the force exerted on the manually actuatable regulating part. There is no possibility of an actuating force component in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle inadvertently having an undesired influence on the longitudinal dynamics of the vehicle at the same time. On the contrary, the vehicle driver's hand actuating the regulating part may be supported on this regulating part in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
In an embodiment of the operating element arrangement according to the present invention, the steering control stick can be arranged to the side of a driver's seat. If required, a steering control stick may be provided on both sides of the driver's seat, in which case the two sticks can be operated in parallel, suitable measures ensuring that no command collisions occur.
The present invention can incorporate the finger-actuatable regulating part into the manually actuated regulating part.
An operating element arrangement according to the present invention can contain, as a foot-actuatable regulating part for the control of braking operations, a large-area force sensor element which is arranged in the driver's seat floor region, i.e. approximately where the brake pedal is conventionally located. The large-area force sensor element, instead of a pedal, improves passive safety, because, not only the accelerator pedal, but also the brake pedal, and consequently the risks of injury associated with this pedal assembly, are absent.